Constructions in Acquisition

edited by Barbara Kelly and Eve V. Clark

Construction grammar offers a new framework in which to consider the
consistent patterns for combining words and phrases within a language. Yet
what counts as a construction as a child acquires language? How do children
identify constructions? How are constructions linked to the acquisition of
words and word meanings?

The study of these questions has progressed to the point where this
collection of recent results is both timely and coherent. This volume covers
a broad range of research on construction acquisition by children, from the
earliest rudimentary gesture combinations to the production of larger
syntactic constructions and complex clauses. Included are studies from a
variety of languages such as Cantonese, English, French, German, Mandarin,
Thai, and Tzeltal, presented by noted scholars in the field of construction
grammar.

Barbara Kelly is assistant professor in the Department of Linguistics and
Applied Linguistics at the University of Melbourne.
Eve V. Clark is professor of linguistics at Stanford University.